St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-03

might never be called upon to exert
their military proficiency except upon a
dress parade. Whenever there was
trouble, however, the people of Mime
sofa would look for aid to the members
of Company ID and their associates in
the First Minnesota regiment of the
National guard. Lieut.. Col. G. McC.
Reeve was recognized by the presiding
officer, and in response to loud calls,
made felicitous speech regarding the
good fellowship now existing between
all the companies of the First regiment,
He was proud of Company ID, although
he was Minneapolis man, for he consid-
cred that their action had redounded
with credit
TO THE WHOLE STATE
and the command of which they were
part. Besides, he was an honorary mem
ber of the victorious company, and he
esteemed 1t a rare honor to be numbered
among their best friends and we'll
wishers. Loud cries of ''Bend'' pre-
ceded the announcement of the next
toast: Therefore let our proportions
for these wars be soon collected
and all things thought upon
that they may add more
feathers to our WINGS" and it was sew
eral minutes ere the boys could be in
duced to refrain from cheering their
popular commander. The substance of
Col. Bends reply was in favor of grant
ing absolute leave of absence to the
members of the National guard for their
July encampment at Fort Smelling, and
he urged those present representing the
mercantile portion of the. community to
second his efforts i'll that direction. 'Our
Allies and Our Friends, May Their Am
bltlon Stimulate Our Friendship"
brought out Col. Mason, of the United
States army, who. in the course of his
remarks, said that in fifteen years expe-
rlence as inspector in the general army
and among volunteer organizations, had
never seen the SuperiOrS of company
ID among the militia of the United
States. 1t had been his good fortune to
attend the weekly drills of the command
every Thursday before they had went
and conquered so many competitors, and
he was particularly struck with their
proficiency in the regular army tactics.
When they marched into the field to
contest for the prize no organization at
Washington could equal them in the
school OF the company manual. and he
said this after having inspected at least
15 per cent. of the militia of the United
States. The drawbacks for competitive
drill, however, was that after it was
over the successful companies too fire.
quently dlsbanded or went to pieces in
some other way. This he counselled
against and urged greater care and pro
ficiency i'll the service that many of
them had assumed SO willingly and with
such credit to themselves. He could
not let this occasion pass without re-
ferrlng to the men who had gone to
Washington and so disgraced the uni
form they wore and the flag they served
under by refusing to march in line with
men whom the government of the
United States was proud to enlist in its
ranks. But it was not Northern soldiers
that had so offended, but men from sec
tl0ns who were crying for an abolition
OF the line of color and sectional preju-
dice. He would close by reiterating
that Company d, of the First Mime
sofa, was the best drilled organization
that he had ever seen in the volunteer
militia of the United States. These re-
marks were enthusiastically received
by all present, and especially the allu-
sion to the refusal of certain Southern
companies to march in line with colored
troops. Fred Driscoll sreaking in
BEHALF OF TIE PRESS,
declared that if Republican president
had been in the chair at Washington
Company d would have returned home
with first, instead of second prize, but
IhiS uiu nOt seem 10 meet With the ap-
proval of the more conservative audi
tors, and a painful silence ensued as
the speaker resumed his seat at the
table. l.. H. Maxfield replied to the
toast, so, for Muse of Fire That
Would Ascend the Brightest Heaven of
InyentiOn,' in which he said that he
had always been friend of the company
that such signal honor was being con-
feTred unon: They were from a section
of country that wanted to Is second to
no other in anything that savored of
progress or perpetuity of institution.
The last toast recited, "What's Ours is
Ours. and Let No Man Gainsay." For
this W. p. Murray was called upon, but
he said that within the last hour he had
noticed some of the ladies in the gallery
growing impatient, and some had even
gone so far as to make faces at the
president for keeping their sweethearts
or husbands away from them so long,
and he proposed an adjournment.
There was unanimous, vOciferouS
aye to this proposition, and the victors
were soon surrounded by their ad-
mirers, anxious to learn the details of
their trip, and in short time only
stacked muskets and the remains of a
feast were left to tell the story of sue
cessful siege.